MAPAMA has approved emergency actions to rescue the prickly pear, the largest endemic mollusk in the Mediterranean, in a “catastrophic” situation.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment (MAPAMA) has approved emergency actions to rescue the pen shell (Pinna nobilis), the largest endemic mollusk in the Mediterranean, as it is considered to be in a “catastrophic” situation.

Within the framework of the LIFE IP INTEMARES project, which is coordinated by MAPAMA, through the Biodiversity Foundation, and acts as a partner through the General Directorate of Sustainability of the Coast and the Sea,  urgent measures will be put in place to prevent the extinction of the pen nacra, affected by the spread of a sporulated protozoan in the waters of the Spanish Mediterranean. This pathogen, whose origin is unknown, destroys the cells of the digestive gland and causes the death of the pen shells by starvation.

Among the approved measures, 215 specimens that have not been exposed to the pathogen will be transferred to various specialized facilities in order to avoid infection and have a genetic reservoir with which to develop a future captive breeding program.

In addition, a preliminary study will be carried out on the Catalan coasts to select the places from which the specimens will be taken and the number extracted in each location so as not to leave the population without the possibility of reproducing in the future.

This was agreed at the coordination meeting held between representatives of MAPAMA, the autonomous communities of the Mediterranean and several research centers to agree on emergency measures to protect this mollusk in a critical situation.

Its importance in the Mediterranean is vital. The prickly pear, which lives mainly in the meadows of Posidonia oceanica, generates an increase in biodiversity and richness in the ecosystems in which it is present.

As a result of this situation of risk for the pen shell, the Sectoral Conference on the Environment approved the declaration of “in critical situation” of the pen shell (Pinna nobilis), so that the works and projects aimed at the recovery of this species will be considered of general interest and a processing of an urgent nature.

These protection measures have been included in the framework of LIFE IP INTEMARES, the largest marine conservation project in Europe, which aims to achieve a consolidated network of marine areas of the Natura 2000 Network, managed effectively, with the active participation of the sectors involved and with research as basic tools for decision-making.

The Spanish Institute of Oceanography, the Spanish Fisheries Confederation, SEO/BirdLife and WWF-Spain also participate as partners in the project and has the financial contribution of the European Union’s LIFE programme, as well as the European Social Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, among other sources of funding.